


names tattooed in arrow hearts

by princehuangss



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, Comedy, Fluff, Jaemin is a mess, M/M, Minor Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Lee Jeno, Renjun is a cutie, Strangers to Lovers, college student! renjun, just a bit, just soft boys, lumark is mentioned briefly, tattoo artist! Jaemin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:48:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24145375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princehuangss/pseuds/princehuangss
Summary: “Hello,” Jaemin called out, catching the boy’s attention, “can I help you?”The boy nodded, and stumbled over to the desk.“Yes,” he said resolutely, “I’m Renjun and I want to get a tattoo.”or when a very drunk renjun comes stumbling into jaemin's tattoo parlor at 1am, begging for a tattoo of vodka on his butt, jaemin falls head over heels.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Na Jaemin
Comments: 18
Kudos: 265
Collections: RENMIN FIC FEST: ROUND ONE





	names tattooed in arrow hearts

**Author's Note:**

> hope y'all enjoy my submission to the renmin ficfest! i loved writing for this prompt soo much so thanks a million to the lovely prompter who supplied it. i hope it lives up to expectations! I did my best even though I myself have never stepped into a tattoo shop lmao
> 
> the title is inspired by 'she looks so perfect' by 5 seconds of summer!

The steady buzzing of his tattoo machine was the only thing keeping Jaemin sane at this point. The girl he was tattooing hissed again, twitching her arm away from the needle.

“Please keep still,” Jaemin muttered, voice soft and patient.

This girl was one of many that attended the university near his shop. She had come in that day, nervously requesting her first tattoo. Her hands had shook as she picked out the most basic design in Jaemin’s itinerary, a giggling gaggle of her friends surrounding her. She was obviously a freshman, and just getting used to her newfound freedom. 

And usually, Jaemin had no complaints with that. He loved to see college kids coming out of their shell and learning to express themselves. There was nothing like the shine in their eyes as they got their first tattoo. It was why Jaemin did what he did, why he had followed his heart and dropped out of college to pursue his love for the art. Turns out, a studio arts degree wasn’t exactly helpful when your real passion is tattoos.

However, he always ran into cases like this one.

Jaemin had been working on this goddamn black and white flower tattoo (that every white girl in existence seemed to get) for well over an hour. Normally these smaller, more minimalistic tattoos could be finished close to that one hour time frame, but that was only if Jaemin’s clients sat peacefully still. Ahem.

The girl he was tattooing had obviously not been prepared. Every time Jaemin would add some more ink, she would let out a terrified squeal and squeeze her friend’s hand harder. And each goddamn time, her friends would all go into a frenzy, asking her if she was okay and squawking at Jaemin to be more gentle.

Jaemin would need Yukhei or Donghyuck to bring him about 50 more Americanos to get him through this.

After an especially disruptive squirm that almost caused Jaemin to mess up the tattoo, he put down the pen machine and tried not to glare at the girl.

“Do you want to continue this tomorrow?” He asked gently, trying not to let on how annoyed he was.

“No no no,” She insisted, squaring her shoulders and forcing a resolute look onto her face. “I’m fine, just keep going.”

Jaemin didn’t respond immediately, which her friends apparently took as skepticism. 

“She’s an adult, you know.” The blonde immediately to the girl’s left sniffed haughtily. “She knows her limits.”

_ Does she really, though?  _ Jaemin thought.

Jaemin sighed heavily and picked up his pen again nonetheless.

» ♔ «

A whopping 45 minutes later, the girl and her friends finally walked out of Jaemin’s shop. The freshly tattooed girl stood in the middle of the pack, showing off the finished work on her wrist to her friends as if they all hadn’t been watching Jaemin doing it with bated breath.

When the door finally shut behind the group and they disappeared down the street, Jaemin let out the loudest, most dramatic groan he could muster into the now empty tattoo and piercing parlor.

Well actually, not as empty as he had thought. Jaemin’s noise of distress was met with a muffled chuckle from the back room, and soon Yukhei, the parlor’s piercing specialist, strutted out. Jaemin shot up from where he sat.

“Xuxi? When did you get back?” Jaemin asked.

Yukhei continued to laugh at Jaemin, who only grew more offended. 

“In the middle of that exciting client of yours.” The older boy finally replied, his own words sending him into another round of giggles.

“Oh good lord,” Jaemin bemoaned at the mention of the girl from earlier, “Xuxi, I think I’m gonna die from stress at a young age. I really think I will.”

Yukhei only shrugged. “I feel ya, man. Kinda comes with the territory though, being a tattoo and piercing place in a college town.”

Jaemin paused his self pity party for a moment to glance Yukhei up and down. The boy was positively glowing, and Jaemin noticed he was practically vibrating with excitement, the way he got when he really wanted to tell Jaemin about something.

Jaemin felt a rush of affection for his friend; the older boy was really just a big excitable puppy.

“Well, out with it,” Jaemin indulged Yukhei, “How was your date?”

“Oh my god, Jaemin,” Yukhei blurted out, and like that it was as if a dam had broken. “Mark is so fucking cute, I swear I’m gonna just marry him now.” 

He then spouted into an extensively detailed rendition of his date, starting with Yukhei’s new boyfriend Mark accidentally calling a Starbucks barista ‘mom’ and ending with Mark serenading Yukhei on his guitar back at his apartment. It was sickeningly sweet, and the longer Jaemin listened to him the more single he felt.

“Gross.” Jaemin fake gagged at the end of it, but the soft grin on his face betrayed him.

Yukhei rolled his eyes. “I don’t know why you insist on being single for all of eternity when you obviously want a relationship.”

“You make it sound like finding a boyfriend is easy!” Jaemin groaned.

“Well, if you tried at least a little it’d be much easier than you think.”

Jaemin just pouted at this, crossing his arms childishly and looking away from Yukhei.

“If you want, I could set you up with one of Mark’s friends,” Yukhei offers gently, “His name is Chenle, and he’s adorable. I think you two would be—”

“Yukhei, I can do fine on my own.”

Yukhei just sighs. “You’re a stubborn little bitch, you know that?”

Yukhei’s eyes hold equal parts annoyance and affection. Jaemin knows he’s being difficult, but for some reason the idea of finding someone to commit to terrifies him to no end. The only people he’s really opened up to here is Yukhei, when Jaemin hired him as a piercer, and Donghyuck, a boy that had been in his Art History class when he was still taking classes. The two boys were Jaemin’s best friends, and they had been there when his parents had cut him off after he had dropped out of college.

Maybe he was just scared of change. Or someone new deciding he was a lost cause and leaving him behind, just like his parents had.

“I know,” Jaemin responded.

Yukhei must have noticed the slight change in Jaemin’s attitude, because his features soften even more.

“It’s okay though, everyone does relationships at their own pace. Hey, who says you even need a boyfriend? Being a single pringle forever is fine too!”

Yukhei’s efforts to cheer him up elicited a giggle from Jaemin. He really didn’t deserve his friends.

The two of them fell into a peaceful silence for a while, as Jaemin cleaned up the tattoo station and Yukhei updated their appointment schedules. As he was looking through Jaemin’s upcoming appointments, Yukhei finally broke the silence.

“Dude, you have a five hour session tomorrow? Holy shit!”

“Yeah,” Jaemin sighed, “Remember the dude from last week? The three hour one?”

Yukhei’s eyes widened in recognition. “Oh, the guy who was getting a detailed tattoo of his girlfriend’s face?”

“Yep, that’s the one.” Jaemin grimaced. “After he had to finish early, he booked this session to finish the tattoo.”

Yukhei squawked a laugh. “Oh man, I loved that guy.”

Jaemin rolled his eyes. “Imagine how much more you’d love him if you had to spend five hours tattooing a woman’s face onto his sweaty back. I’m gonna be here with that guy until 1 am! That is a human rights violation!”

Yukhei was doubled over in laughter at this point. “You know you can, like, say no right?”

“Please. I need all the clients I can get to put my name out there.”

Yukhei shrugged. “Fair, I guess.”

» ♔ «

It’s 12:50 am, according to the clock hanging on the wall.

Jaemin adds one last touch of color to the man’s back tattoo. His hands were aching, his head was pounding, and his butt was sore from sitting in his chair for so long.

He felt nothing but relief and exhaustion as he applied a bandage to the tattoo, prattling off the aftercare and recovery instructions again to the man on the table. Once the man had completed his final payment and was out the door, Jaemin collapsed into the chair behind the front desk. He desperately hoped that he would get an interesting client soon, or else he might just have to quit the tattooing business. These past couple days had been a trial. 

It was now just a little after 1 am. Jaemin knew he should go home and get some sleep, but he was a night owl; these early hours were when his productivity was at its best. Besides, he would be closed tomorrow to celebrate Yukhei’s birthday, so he could shit around here for a little while guilt-free.

So after Jaemin grabbed his sketchbook from his bag and a Mountain Dew from the staff room fridge, he settled back behind the front desk and got to work.

Jaemin made it about 20 minutes before he slammed his sketchbook down in frustration.  _ Artist’s block sucks ass,  _ was his profound conclusion as he sent a death glare at the empty page in front of him. The paper was basically ruined with all of the pencil indents and eraser smudges that covered it.

Inspiration had been lacking recently, and it put a little weight on Jaemin’s chest. He didn’t want to be doing basic ass designs on people forever. He wanted to be a real tattoo artist, offering people beautiful and unique designs of his own creation. Something that would make himself proud.

Jaemin hated to admit it, but he didn’t want to prove his parents right. He didn’t want to be a total failure.

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted when the front door swung wide open, sending the bells above the door into a frenzy. Jaemin nearly shit himself as his eyes shot up to the sudden intruder.

Of course, his fucking dumb ass forgot to lock the door after Sweaty Back Man.

Jaemin’s heart rate only returned to normal when he identified said intruder as the least intimidating looking boy he’s ever laid eyes on.

The boy was at least a few inches shorter than him, and significantly smaller in build. He looked to be around Jaemin’s age, but his youthful features could have betrayed him.

Jaemin also realized, from the warm blush on the boy’s cheeks, the confused look in his eyes, and the aggressive slant in his walk, that this boy was also  _ absolutely shitfaced. _

_ Gotta love college kids,  _ Jaemin thought,  _ no sense of self preservation at all. _

“Hello,” Jaemin called out, catching the boy’s attention, “can I help you?”

The boy nodded, and stumbled over to the desk.

“Yes,” he said resolutely, “I’m Renjun and I want to get a tattoo.”

_ Good lord,  _ Jaemin thought. _ Well of course you do. _

“Okay,” Jaemin responded, indulging him. “Do you have an idea of a design you might want?”

“Vodka. On my butt.” This set the boy, Renjun, into an aggressive fit of giggles. 

_ Well aren’t you quite the comedian.  _ Jaemin rolled his eyes. He knew he could not give Renjun the tattoo he wanted, not when he was this drunk. It sounded like every college horror story people brought home about being careful at parties.  _ Watch your alcohol intake, kids. One time I got so drunk I went and got a bottle of vodka tattooed on my ass! _

Jaemin also knew that he would just make the other boy mad if he were to outright refuse. So now he just had to think fast about how to get out of this. 

And then, a brilliant idea came to him.

“Well then, right this way, sir!” Jaemin pointed to an empty tattoo station, and Renjun proudly strutted over.

As Jaemin headed to follow him, he grabbed the pen with the pointiest tip from the front desk.

When he got to where Renjun was standing, the boy immediately moved to pull his pants down. Probably to give Jaemin better access for his tattoo.

“Woah, woah!” Jaemin felt panic fill his chest. He couldn’t draw on this boy’s ass when he was under the influence! That was, like, assault or something!

“You, umm, don’t need to do that.” Jaemin tried to put together an excuse quickly, his face flaming. “Just— Just lie down. I’ve got this.”

Renjun shrugged and lowered his hands. “Okay buddy, whatever you say.”

Jaemin finally got Renjun lying on his stomach on the table, hands delicately placed to pillow his head. Jaemin would laugh at the sight if he wasn’t brimming with nerves.

He settled into a chair, gloves on and inks set up in front of him. You know, all convincing like.

Jaemin uncapped his sharp pen and pretended to dip it in some ink. With luck, Renjun wouldn’t catch a drift of what he was trying to pull off. The boy was not only drunk but he also looked as if he’d never stepped foot in a tattoo shop in all his life.

Jaemin then carefully moved his other hand to the boy’s waist, where it hovered helplessly for a few seconds. If he just drew on Renjun’s back, the boy would definitely catch it, but Jaemin was not going full ass. Instead, he carefully moved the waist of the boy’s jeans down slightly.

That would be okay. He hoped.

Trying to ignore the blush that threatened to set his face on fire, Jaemin began carefully drawing a small cartoonish drawing of a vodka bottle just next to Renjun’s hip bone. He was sure to press the pen in a little harder than necessary so it somewhat felt like a real tattoo.

It seemed to work, because he heard a small “Ouch!” from Renjun.

“You ok there buddy?” Jaemin asked, trying to hold back a laugh.

“Yup!” Renjun exclaimed a little too loudly, “I got— I got nerves of steel!”

This time there was nothing that could stop Jaemin from letting out a giggle. Renjun thankfully didn’t seem to be offended by Jaemin laughing at him, instead choosing to laugh along. 

Jaemin was kinda starting to appreciate this kid. He was beginning to get curious about what Renjun was like when he wasn’t ridiculously inebriated.

Jaemin put some finishing touches on the little vodka doodle. He had even added a little smiley face with exes for eyes, just for his own amusement. “Alright there, champ. I’m done.” He told Renjun before getting up to put everything away.

“Woah,” Renjun gasped, “That didn’t even hurt that much. I’m such— I’m such a badass.”

“Yes you are. So awesome.”

Renjun smiled with pride and puffed out his chest at Jaemin’s words.

Jaemin chuckled softly, staring at Renjun for another moment, before realizing something.

“Hey Renjun… do you live far from here?”

“Oh, umm—” Renjun paused, as if he forgot for a moment— “Uh, I guess so! I live in Claver Hall.” He finished by clumsily shoving himself off the tattoo table.

Jaemin rushed to balance Renjun with a steady hand on his shoulder before the boy could knock over any of Jaemin’s treasured equipment. As he led Renjun to the front of the shop, he felt a spike of concern. Claver Hall, if he remembered correctly, was on the complete opposite side of campus from Jaemin’s tattoo shop. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to live with himself if he let the smaller boy walk home desperately drunk and all on his own. 

Jaemin watched as Renjun attempted to call a friend of his, possibly his roommate, a good four or five times. After the fifth attempt went to voicemail, Renjun dropped the phone at his side and groaned. 

“Jeno’s not answering, why isn’t he answering? He hates me!” Renjun moaned.

“It  _ is _ 2 am. He’s probably just asleep.” Jaemin reminded him.

Renjun stomped his foot like a child, a pout forming on his face. “Well, that’s not very helpful.” he slurred.

Jaemin heaved a sigh. Here he was, standing in his empty tattoo just after 2 am, with this extremely drunk stranger that he had just had to draw all over with a sharpie. It didn’t help that he was now seriously considering walking said stranger home, which just happened to be a good mile in the opposite direction of his own apartment.

Ugh, why did Jaemin have to be so kind all the time?

Jaemin sighed again. “Stay here,” he told Renjun before quickly rushing around the tattoo parlor and shutting all the lights off. Once he was done and had grabbed his sketchbook, he tugged Renjun out of the shop and locked the door behind them. Renjun stared up at him in confusion.

“What— Why are you leaving too?” He asked.

Jaemin began to walk down the sidewalk, not waiting for Renjun to follow. Soon enough he heard the patter of footsteps trying to catch up to him, and he responded as he looked up directions to Claver Hall on his phone.

“It’s pretty late if you haven’t noticed, or— well, early I guess. I was just about to leave anyway, so I thought I’d just take you home.”

Renjun was now scampering at Jaemin’s side, desperately trying to match his smaller, quite unsteady footsteps to Jaemin’s longer strides. A rosy blush began to grow on his cheeks.

“You didn’t need to do that.” he mumbled.

Jaemin didn’t respond to that, because he knew he didn’t. He wasn’t completely sure why he was actually, but something just didn’t sit right about the thought of this boy potentially getting himself into danger. He was just so sweet and innocent looking, it seemed wrong. 

That’s what Jaemin decided to tell himself anyway.

They had almost reached Renjun’s dorm building when the other boy decided that walking had become too much for him, and he planted his butt decisively in a bush right out front the Humanities building. After minutes of hassling Renjun to get up, the smaller boy only looked closer to falling asleep, so Jaemin begrudgingly pulled Renjun onto his back with a grunt and an eyeroll. And so they piggybacked the last half mile there.

Jaemin groaned with relief when they finally reached the door to Renjun’s dorm room. It had been a struggle and a half getting Renjun to remember his dorm number, and Jaemin’s back was aching. The drunk boy might have been light as a feather, but carrying someone of any weight nearly half a mile was no small thing.

Jaemin set Renjun down as soon as they came to a stop. “Do you have a key?” he asked him.

Renjun looked up at Jaemin with wide eyes as he began to pat down his pockets, and Jaemin nearly started crying right then and there because  _ what would he do if this dumbass had lost his key? Let him sleep in the hallway or, god forbid, bring him back to his own apartment?  _ However, much to Jaemin’s relief, Renjun eventually found his key in his back pocket. The key was attached on a keyring to a set of car keys, accompanied by two very small keychains, one a Moomin figure and the other a fox. 

He glanced back up at Jaemin again, this time with a warm smile. 

“Thanks for bringing me back, random tattoo boy,” he chuckled.

Jaemin returned the smile. “It’s Jaemin.”

“Hmm. Ok, Jaemin.”

Jaemin turned to leave but something uncontrollable had him turning back around. He reached into the deep pockets of his jacket to pull out one of the business cards he kept in there. He had never really had a need for them until now.

He slipped it into the pocket of Renjun’s jeans. “If you ever need anything. Or for when you’re sober and  _ actually  _ want a tattoo.”

Renjun watched him with surprise as Jaemin shot him one last smile, turned around, and walked away.

» ♔ «

The next day Jaemin didn’t wake up until noon, which he thought to be completely justified. After all, he didn’t actually get into bed until almost 3:30 am, and yesterday had been weird as shit. Besides, he wasn’t meeting up with Yukhei and Donghyuck until the evening, so he had a free pass to take it easy for the rest of the day.

After finally waking up and getting out of bed, Jaemin made a quick breakfast— or closer to lunch now— before quickly migrating to the couch with his sketchbook. Despite a rather tumultuous night and the horrible artist’s block that had been plaguing him for nearly a week, Jaemin felt a rush of productivity that afternoon, and he wasn’t about to let it go to waste.

Jaemin had filled at least a few pages of rough sketches when he looked up at the clock and it was nearing the time he was supposed to meet up with Yukhei and Donghyuck. They had planned on going to Yukhei’s favorite hotpot restaurant for his birthday, then afterwards heading over to their favorite skate park to let off some steam. 

Jaemin quickly threw on some clothes he deemed fitting for a night out. He was almost out the door when he suddenly backtracked, grabbing his sketchbook then finally exiting the house. Who knows, maybe he’d get a sudden surge of inspiration at the skate park or something. It was a weird thing to bring to his friend’s birthday celebration, but his greatest ideas always seemed to come at the weirdest times.

Yukhei and Donghyuck were waiting just inside the restaurant when he arrived. Yukhei, being the ball of energy he is, greeted Jaemin with an over the top cheer and a hug that forced all of the air out of his chest. Yukhei always acted like it’d been years since they last talked when they had in fact just spoken the day before. Donghyuck approached a little more subdued, only bringing a lopsided grin that always seemed to be teasing Jaemin, and a firm hug.

“How was the 5 hour session yesterday, by the way?” Yukhei asked as they were led to their table, his eyes alight with childlike excitement. Donghyuck overheard and fell back to listen in.

“Oh, right! Yukhei told me about that!” Donghyuck cackled. Jaemin sighed as they sat down at the booth, preparing to tell them both the full story.

“It went ok, ended just before 1 am,” Jaemin said, “But that wasn’t even the tip of the iceberg that was my crazy ass day yesterday.”

Yukhei’s eyes widened. “There’s  _ more? _ ” Both he and Donghyuck seemed to lean forward at the prospect of more drama.

“Yeah!” Jaemin exclaimed. “After he left, I was planning on hanging around for a few more minutes, y’know working on some ideas for tattoos.”

Yukhei furrowed his eyebrows as if he didn’t understand why Jaemin would possibly want to stay at the shop at 1 am after a grueling 5 hour session, but he didn’t say anything, gesturing for Jaemin to continue.

“So this tiny college kid comes in, drunk off his ass and asking for a tattoo of vodka on his butt.” Both Yukhei and Donghyuck were both immediately sent into fits of howling laughter, and Jaemin had to struggle not to laugh as well as he continued his story. “So I knew there was no way I was going to give that kid a real tattoo, so I just drew it on his waist kinda with a pen, and he was satisfied I guess?”

“Holy shit man,” Yukhei cackled, “College kids are too much.”

“So because I’m way too nice for my own good, I not only did not charge him for wasting my time, but I also walked him all the way to his dorm at Claver Hall. But I did slip my business card into his pocket.” Jaemin finished his story.

“Man,” Donghyuck started, wiping away tears of laughter, “You really are too nice. Claver Hall is, like, at least a mile out of your way.”

“Don’t I know it,” Jaemin groaned, “I didn’t even have my car or anything, I had to  _ walk.  _ I didn’t wake up until noon today.”

“Did you even get his name?” Donghyuck exclaimed.

“Man, I can’t remember the last time Jaemin did anything that nice for me,” Yukhei said, still trying to get over his laughter, “He must have been, like, really hot.”

Jaemin’s face heated up. “His name was Renjun,” he began, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. “And I just felt bad, okay? This guy looked like I could breathe on him and he’d topple over. I couldn’t let him walk home by himself in good conscience!”

“Well, he got to your shop fine, didn’t he?” Donghyuck said, grinning slyly. “He obviously was more capable than you think.”

Jaemin’s face went impossibly redder, for he really had no answer to that. Searching for anything to change the topic, he said, “How’s that cute boy from your psych class been? Jeno, was that his name?”

Jaemin’s efforts became successful when Donghyuck’s face went just as red as Jaemin’s. 

“Low blow, Na. Let’s just bring Yukhei’s boy Mark into it, while we’re at it?”

“You know what, sure. I’d love to talk about Mark!”

Jaemin and Donghyuck both groaned.

» ♔ «

Once they were done stuffing their faces full of food, the trio headed to the skate park nearby. The only people that were there when they arrived were a few teenagers who had obviously been smoking, if the stench of weed hanging over the park was anything to go by. Luckily they seemed to be staying in their far corner, so Jaemin, Yukhei, and Donghyuck didn’t pay them any mind.

Yukhei and Donghyuck didn’t waste a second, running straight up to the nearest half-pipe with their boards. Jaemin approached a little slower, instead choosing to take a seat at the top of the pipe, placing his board next to him and opening up his sketchbook. Inspiration was running fresh through him. He watched as his friends sailed around the park, occasionally letting out excited whoops. The sun was rapidly setting now, casting dramatic reds and purples over the park. Street lights flickered on around them, and the crowds of people walking past thinned out as they all went home for the night.

Jaemin looked back down at his empty sketchbook page. His mind suddenly filled with images of flushed cheeks, foxes and tiny moomin figures, of drunken smiles and piggybacks through the dark streets of the city. His hand flew over the page, filling it with messy pencil scratches and flurried eraser marks. His page slowly but surely filled with tons of tiny little designs, and by the time Yukhei and Donghyuck finally flopped down next to him tired and ready to go home, he had filled nearly two full pages.

“Wow, those are really good, Nana,” Donghyuck mumbled from beside him. Jaemin beamed with pride. He was actually really proud of the drawings, and would turn them into more finished designs tomorrow at the shop. But for now, he had to get his two big babies that he called friends home safely.

“Come on you two, let’s head home.” Jaemin gently hoisted his two tired friends to their feet, and led the way out of the skate park.

As Jaemin led his two friends through the darkening streets of the city, his mind wandered for what felt like the hundredth time that day to the drunk college boy from the night before. He couldn’t help but wonder if he’d ever see Renjun again, and he couldn’t pinpoint why the thought felt so bittersweet.

» ♔ «

Jaemin sees Renjun again not even two weeks later.

After the chance encounter that one morning at 2 am, the boy barely passed over Jaemin’s mind at all. He added his sketchbook drawings from his night out to his official tattoo itinerary, and refused to acknowledge that they maybe had kinda sorta been inspired by Renjun. He didn’t have much time to dwell on it anyway, because the designs proved to be quite popular in the days following, especially one design that depicted a delicate hand holding a bottle filled with flowers.

Renjun came to his shop once again, except this time thankfully sober.

Jaemin was just finishing up a small finger tattoo on one of their frequent customers. He was deep in a conversation with them about his new designs so he barely registered the chime on the front door ringing and Yukhei telling the newcomers to have a seat while Jaemin was finishing up.

Jaemin quickly added the bandage on the fresh ink and bid a slow goodbye to their regular when Yukhei came over.

“You have a couple of customers at the front waiting for a consultation. Looks like first timers.” Yukhei said before giving Jaemin a friendly pat on the back and making his way back to his piercing station.

Jaemin sighed. First timers were always a hit or miss; they could either be a pleasant experience or a living nightmare. He sucked it up anyway and made his way to the front to offer a friendly introduction.

“Hello, and welcome to our shop today, how can I help you?” Jaemin greeted the customers with a friendly smile. When his eyes finally fell on them, however, he froze in his tracks. 

Sitting before him on the two waiting chairs were none other than Renjun himself, and another boy who must have been a friend of his.

“Hello!” Renjun responded cheerfully, blissfully unaware of Jaemin’s inner crisis. “I’ve been wanting to get my first tattoo for a while now, but I’m not entirely sure what I want to get. Do you have any suggestions or designs I could look at?”

“S-Sure, right this way,” Jaemin stuttered before turning and leading them to the front desk where his design book sat. He gave himself a quick pinch on the arm to ground himself, and hoped that Renjun and his friend didn’t notice the way he was flailing.  _ Come on, dumbass. Get a grip and don’t be pathetic. He probably doesn’t even remember you. _

“These are some designs of my own personal creation, and these are just some basic designs for inspiration.” Jaemin rattled off, trying to sound as chill as possible.

He was waiting patiently while Renjun and his friend were flipping through the designs, when the door to the tattoo parlor flew open and the wild hurricane that is Donghyuck came flying in.

“Jaemin, where is Yukhei?” He demanded, chest heaving and looking very ruffled. “That little bitch stole my—” Donghyuck’s tirade was suddenly cut short when he caught sight of Renjun and his friend, who had turned to look at him when they heard all the commotion. All of the blood visibly drained from Donghyuck’s face.

“J-Jeno,” Donghyuck floundered, “Didn’t expect— Didn’t expect to see you here.”

_ Holy shit,  _ Jaemin thought,  _ so this is who Hyuck has been hopelessly pining over for the past few months. This is Jeno from Psych!  _ Renjun’s friend, who must have been Jeno, laughed amicably. His eyes curved into little crescents when he smiled in a way that reminded Jaemin of a puppy. He could understand, objectively, why Donghyuck was so head over heels for the boy.

“Donghyuck, hi!” Jeno greeted, voice alight with excitement. “This is my friend, Renjun. Renjun, this is the Donghyuck that I told you about from Psych class.”

“You talk about me?” Donghyuck mumbles, before his brain apparently caught on to the name Renjun. He turned to Jaemin with wide eyes, and mouthed the words,  _ Drunk Boy?! _

Jaemin nodded to Donghyuck solemnly.  _ I’ll tell you later,  _ he mouthed out quickly before turning back to his customers.

“Any idea about what you’d like?” He asked.

Renjun smiled. “Actually yeah,” he said, pushing over one of Jaemin’s designs. Jaemin recognized it as one of the designs he had drawn at the skate park nearly two weeks ago. This one was a more minimalist design, a vague outline of a fox running through some trees. “I like this one, I was thinking of getting the tattoo on my shoulder.”

Jaemin nodded. Wise choice of placement for a first tattoo. Relatively low on the pain scale, in Jaemin’s opinion. He had gotten his second ever tattoo there, of his older sister’s name on a pair of ballet shoes, since she was a dancer. For the first tattoo most people went for the inside of their forearm, as did Jaemin, but the shoulder wasn’t too far behind.

“Well, I can get you started, and unless you want him by your side for moral support, we can leave your friend Jeno to catch up with Hyuckie here?”

A pathetic sound came from Donghyuck’s vague direction that seemed to say  _ “don’t leave me here with him!”  _ but Jaemin ignored it. 

Renjun nodded. “We can let them chat, as long as you’re ok with me being a little nervous. It is my first time after all.”

Jaemin nodded, “Of course!”. He led Renjun over to a tattoo station— coincidentally the same one he had been in weeks prior— and had him lie down, then carefully prepped the area on Renjun’s shoulder where he’d be tattooing. Jaemin felt a schoolgirl, reigning in a blush when Renjun had to slip down the shoulder of his shirt, revealing the soft skin of his back.

Jaemin began the process slowly, marking the outline of the tattoo before finally starting in with the tattoo pen. Since it was such a small, minimalistic tattoo, it wouldn’t take too long, so he had to acknowledge that Renjun made a good choice there for his first tattoo.

Despite a few small noises and a slightly strained expression, Renjun seemed to be doing pretty well with the pain. Unlike most of Jaemin’s first timers who struggled to stay in one spot, Renjun was being quite a trooper. At one point when it seemed like Renjun was struggling to keep it together, Jaemin tried to start some conversation to distract him.

“So Renjun,” Jaemin started, “How’d you decide on here to get your first tattoo? We aren’t exactly the most well known place.” Jaemin asked the question despite being pretty confident he knew the answer. He was satisfied when Renjun began telling him all about how he woke up one morning after getting wasted at a party the night before, and how he found this business card just magically in his jeans pocket. Jaemin had to stifle a grin at how innocently confused Renjun sounded.

“It must have been fate, huh?” Jaemin said, slapping on a cheesy smile. Renjun let out a cheerful laugh, and Jaemin considered his mission to distract the boy a win. 

The half hour it takes to complete Renjun’s tattoo seemed to fly by, at least for Jaemin. Before he knew it he was adding the finishing touches, and explaining the essential care that Renjun must do while his new ink was healing.

Once they were done, Jaemin led Renjun up to the front to pay. While Renjun was busy with his credit card, Jaemin glanced over to where he had left Donghyuck with Jeno. The pair were smiling like idiots, and Jaemin watched as Jeno took out his phone and handed it to Donghyuck, presumably for him to put his contact information in. Jaemin turned back to Renjun, who had turned to look at the pair as well, and decided to take a leap of bravery.

“Looks like we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other now that those two are officially acquainted.” Jaemin said. Renjun laughed and rolled his eyes fondly, and Jaemin’s chest filled with just a bit more confidence. He was about to ask Renjun for his number too when the other boy beat him to it.

“I really love your designs by the way. Getting a tattoo has been on my mind for the longest time and now that I know it doesn’t hurt nearly as bad as I thought it would, I’m already planning my next one!” Renjun laughed in the way Jaemin learned sounded so gentle, like windchimes.

“I minor in graphic design,” Renjun added on, “So I’d love to talk to you more about your designs, if that’s okay. Are you some sort of art major?”

Jaemin clumsily explained how he used to be a studio art major, but dropped out of college to open the tattoo parlor. Much to his surprise, Renjun seemed really enthusiastic about the choice in a way that most people weren’t. They exchanged numbers and in the blink of an eye, Renjun and Jeno were leaving the parlor, bidding cheerful goodbyes.

Jaemin looked over to where Donghyuck was standing, only to find his friend already looking at him. They blinked at each other like idiots for a long moment before Donghyuck finally broke the silence.

“I can’t believe drunk boy is friends with Jeno.” Donghyuck said.

Jaemin burst into a fit of giggles. “You— You should have seen your face when you saw Jeno—”

“Hey, shut it! Don’t think I didn’t notice your heart eyes for Drunk Boy over there. You do have a thing for him, don’t you?”

“His name is  _ Renjun,  _ not Drunk Boy.” Jaemin shot back playfully. “And at least I wasn’t as pathetic as you.”

“But you didn’t deny that you like him!” Donghyuck exclaimed with glee.

Jaemin only responded with a groan. Yukhei, who must have heard all the commotion, came barreling around the corner. 

“What’s going on? What did I miss? Donghyuck, why is your face so red?”

“Oh my god, shut up!”

» ♔ «

That night when Jaemin finally got home, he was as usual ready to drop dead from exhaustion, but the thrill of seeing Renjun again was still running through his veins. He quickly showered and changed into his comfiest pajamas, before collapsing in front of the TV with a cup of hot tea and his sketchbook. 

Jaemin was in the middle of filling a page with new designs, fresh ideas pouring out of his head at a mile a minute when his phone pinged from beside him, indicating a new message. The text was from an unknown number, so Jaemin unlocked his phone with curiosity.

**Unknown Number**

Hey, this is Renjun btw! :) _ [Sent 8:43 PM] _

Hope your night is going well haha  _ [Sent 8:43 PM] _

**Jaemin**

Hi Renjun!  _ [Sent 8:44 PM] _

I was actually working on designs rn  _ [Sent 8:44 PM] _

**Renjun :D**

Oh, cool!! Can I see?  _ [Sent 8:44 PM] _

It’s ok if not tho  _ [Sent 8:45 PM] _

**Jaemin**

No no that’s fine! Lemme just send it real quick  _ [Sent 8:46 PM] _

_ [Image sent 8:47 PM] _

**Renjun :D**

Oh wow those are really good!  _ [Sent 8:49 PM] _

I’m excited to see more haha you’re really talented  _ [Sent 8:49 PM] _

**Jaemin**

Omg thank you sm :o  _ [Sent 8:49 PM] _

I’m excited to share them w you!!  _ [Sent 8:50 PM] _

**Renjun :D**

Yeah!! Maybe we could meet up sometime for coffee?  _ [Sent 8:51 PM] _

**Jaemin**

I would love to!  _ [Sent 8:52 PM] _

Jaemin read over their text exchange again. For a second he was worried that he had sounded too enthusiastic, but it seemed Renjun had been just as excited, which made Jaemin smile. After a few more sketches, one being a stupidly cute cartoon bunny holding hands with Moomin, Jaemin turned in for the night, going out like a light and having a pleasantly dreamless rest.

» ♔ «

Another week went by after the second time Jaemin saw Renjun. This time, however, instead of wondering if he’d ever see the boy again, Jaemin texted back and forth with Renjun throughout the week. A lot of it was very tentative and lighthearted, getting to know each other in between pictures of animals from Renjun’s instagram feed and pictures of Jaemin’s designs and finished tattoos. Renjun was very enthusiastic about Jaemin’s work, and in turn Jaemin avidly appreciated all the puppies and kittens Renjun sent his way.

Finally, on a Friday afternoon, they made plans to meet up again. Renjun specifically used the word ‘date’, but Jaemin wasn’t sure if meant date as in ‘date with a friend’, or date as in ‘ _ date  _ date’. He decided not to say anything about it in the end.

They arranged to meet up at a cafe near Renjun’s dorm that he says is his favorite. Jaemin was mortified at how much he was shaking on the walk over to the cafe. He never felt like this about someone before— he was supposed to be cool and tough or… whatever. The butterflies filling his stomach made him kinda feel like he was gonna die.

He shook off any sign of nerves as he approached the cafe and pushed the door open. He was greeted by the pleasant tinkling of a bell, and he glanced around the cafe. He hadn’t known the other boy for long, but for some reason this cafe just screamed Renjun. It was well lit and the walls were covered with paintings of flowers and various woodland creatures. All the tables and counters were a rustic wood, and decorative lamps hung low over all the tables.

Jaemin’s eyes finally landed on Renjun’s figure, sitting at a table in one of the front corners, right by the window. He couldn’t contain the gleeful smile that made its way across his face; Renjun was looking quite nervous, with his eyes flitting around the cafe and his hands stuffed in between his legs. When his roaming eyes finally landed on Jaemin, they widened considerably.

“Jaemin, hi!” Renjun greeted as Jaemin approached. 

“Hi Renjun,” Jaemin responded, “Do you want me to get you anything?”

“Oh, just a hot chocolate, please.” Jaemin’s heart swelled at the endearing choice of drink. Renjun began to root around in his wallet for his credit card, but Jaemin just shook his head.

“Don’t worry, I’ll pay,” he told Renjun.

“Oh,” Renjun said, looking flustered, “Are you— are you sure?”

“Yes. It’s my treat.”

At this point, Renjun was full on blushing. “Al—Alright, then. Thank you.”

Jaemin just smiled at him once more, before going and ordering their drinks. When they were finally seated and sipping on their drinks, Renjun sporting a cute little line of chocolate on his upper lip, they began a conversation.

They sat there long after both of their drinks were finished, talking about their lives, their interests, and everything in between. Renjun was horrified when he found out about Jaemin’s caffeine intake, and listened intently as Jaemin told the story of how he got into tattooing. Jaemin listened to Renjun as he went into how he was in college for graphic design with a minor in marketing, hoping to someday help promote small businesses with his designs. Jaemin responded saying that he might have to enlist Renjun’s help to promote the tattoo shop, and Renjun lit up like the sun.

After a while they finally left, and when Jaemin noticed that it was getting pretty late, he decided to take Renjun to his favorite place in the city to watch the sunset. It was a considerable walking distance away, at the very top of an empty parking garage. The hike was deemed worth it, however, when they reached the top just as the sun was beginning to set.

“This is beautiful,” Renjun whispered. He looked out over the edge of the parking garage at the colors that painted their way across the sky. The colors painted their way into Renjun’s eyes, which were lit up with the setting sun. Jaemin couldn’t even be bothered to watch the sunset, when it was so wonderfully reflected in Renjun’s eyes. Somehow, it looked even more beautiful that way.

“How’s the tattoo healing?” Jaemin asked. Renjun jumped a little, as if he was so entranced with the sunset that he had forgotten Jaemin’s presence. He recovered quickly, however, and a wide smile took residence on his face.

“It’s great, you did a really good job.” Renjun pulled down the collar of his shirt, exposing his shoulder. It was no longer bright red and irritated from the tattoo process, and Jaemin admired his handy work.

“Did you know that my favorite animal is foxes?” Renjun asked. Jaemin, remembering the boy’s fox keychain, shook his head in feigned ignorance.

“How many tattoos do you have?” Renjun suddenly asked. “I’ve seen, like, little bits of them sticking out of your shirt, but that’s it. Usually tattoo artists are super covered in ink.”

Jaemin nodded. “Yeah, I’m not as covered in tats as many artists are, but I have a few. I like to keep them fairly small, and with nice meanings.” He pulled back the sleeve of his long sleeved t-shirt to expose the tattoo on his wrist. It was “For example, this one is just numbers, but it’s the date that I opened my tattoo shop.”

He showed Renjun all his other tattoos as well; he showed him the ballet shoes on his shoulder for his sister, the two tigers on his hip for Donghyuck and Yukhei, and his largest tattoo, the snake that wound up his back and to the back of his neck. He got that one when his parents kicked him out of the house and cut him off. Renjun blushed a little when Jaemin first lifted up his shirt to show him, but he was soon listening with fascination as Jaemin explained the stories behind them.

Renjun frowned sympathetically when Jaemin told him about his parents. Usually Jaemin was miffed when people showed him pity, but somehow the way Renjun looked so genuinely frustrated for him, it didn’t bother Jaemin in the slightest.

“I’ve been thinking,” Renjun said, “of how I kind of want another tattoo. I think I’m hooked.”

Jaemin grinned teasingly. “Oh, how I hate to be an enabler, but I think I could help.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Jaemin said with a wink. “I’ll have some designs waiting for you when I see you next, hmm?”

And oh how Jaemin would pay to see the shy blush that overtook Renjun’s cheeks every day.

» ♔ «

Not even a few days passed before Renjun came back for his second tattoo. First thing the following Tuesday morning, Renjun came marching into the shop, the little bell above the door signalling his arrival. Jaemin, who was still setting up with Yukhei in the back, was a little surprised to be getting a customer so early in the day. Confusion quickly turned into excitement, however, when he caught sight of who it was.

“Junnie! Back so soon!” He greeted loudly, causing Yukhei’s head to turn. Renjun only rolled his eyes in response, annoyance betrayed by the shy blush of his cheeks.

Just like the first time, Renjun followed Jaemin up to the front and Jaemin pushed the book of designs toward him. 

Jaemin watched as Renjun carefully considered each design. “You know,” Jaemin began, causing Renjun to look up, “If this becomes a regular occurence, you’re gonna go broke from all the tattoos. And I’m gonna run out of space to put them all.”

Renjun blushed even fiercer than he had already been. “Well, I plan to space my next one out a little more—”

“Oh wow, already planning for a  _ third? _ ”

Renjun grumbled. “Sh-shut up.”

A few minutes of teasing later, and Renjun finally decided on a design. Much to Jaemin’s delight he chose a constellation design, a smattering of stars that Jaemin had designed just that past Friday when he had gotten home from watching the sunset with Renjun.

When Jaemin asked Renjun where he wanted it, Renjun responded that he wanted it along his collarbone.

“Are you sure about that?” Jaemin asked nervously. “Collarbone tattoos can be pretty painful…”

Renjun just shook his head and smiled. “I’ll be fine, don’t worry!”

Jaemin admired the smaller boy’s bravery, but he called Yukhei over for support just in case it got to be too much.

Jaemin got Renjun situated at one of the tattoo stations and got to work preparing the area to be tattooed. He once again caught himself marvelling at Renjun’s soft skin. Shit, this boy had pretty collarbones.  _ Come on Jaemin, focus _ —

Jaemin got started on the simple black and white tattoo. It was going pretty well, and to Renjun’s credit, he was cooperating quite well. There were a few moments, however, when he squeezed Yukhei’s hand a little harder and he looked like he wanted to ask Jaemin to stop. He didn’t say anything though, and Jaemin couldn’t help but feel a little guilty about inflicting pain on him even though Jaemin did this  _ all the time  _ and it had never been a problem—

It was over pretty quickly, and Renjun looked quite pleased with the results. He admired his fresh ink in the handheld mirror Jaemin gave him, looking fascinated despite the tattoo still being quite inflamed, and just covered with the protective plastic bandage.

“Beautiful, of course. Thank you, Jaemin.”

Jaemin shuffled awkwardly, not sure what to do with such genuine praise. “I’m glad you like it.”

He looked over to where Renjun was sitting on the tattoo table, legs swinging back and forth like a little kid, and the question emerged from Jaemin’s mouth before he could stop it. “When will I see you again? I mean— not just for a tattoo.”

Renjun grinned. “Well, when are you free?”

And by the time Renjun finally left that day, they had already planned for a second date.

» ♔ «

The day of their second date arrived, and Jaemin was horrified to find that he was just as nervous for this one as he had been for their first. He finally had gotten himself to admit to his reflection in the mirror that yes, he  _ like  _ liked Renjun and kind of wanted to go on a lot of more dates, and maybe even kiss him. He knew that it was pretty likely that Renjun liked him back, but the stubborn part of his brain seemed to be insistent on ignoring that possibility.

It was scary to admit that he had these feelings, which Jaemin was kind of ashamed of. He was supposed to be a cool tough guy who was above all these nervous teenage emotions. Yet here he was, wiping his gross sweaty hands on his hoodie as he waited in his car for Renjun to get out of class.

Their second date was going to be considerably more casual than their first one. The plan was that Jaemin would pick Renjun up from his last class of the day and they would go back to Jaemin’s place and watch some movies.

It was totally okay. Renjun would be in Jaemin’s apartment. Sitting on his couch, next to him. What if their shoulders touched? Would it be too early to cuddle? What if Renjun—

“Hey, Jaemin!” Jaemin almost jumped out of his skin at the sudden voice that interrupted his incessant worrying. He looked over to see Renjun knocking on the passenger door window, and now laughing at the very ruffled looking Jaemin. Jaemin unlocked the passenger door and Renjun climbed in, still giggling.

“Okay, Mr. Comedian,” Jaemin grumbled, and Renjun only cooed at the pout on his face.

“You looked like you were really deep in thought there,” Renjun giggled, “What were you thinking about?”

Jaemin doesn’t know what possessed him to be honest then. “Nothing, just a bit— a bit nervous.”

Jaemin expected Renjun to laugh at him some more, but the other boy only smiled shyly, a pretty blush dusting his cheeks.

“Well, I’m glad to know I’m not the only one.”

Jaemin smiled at Renjun, probably looking like an idiot, and he sat there looking at him for probably a few seconds too long before he finally remembered that their date was supposed to be at his apartment, not in the parking lot of the university arts building.

They drove the short distance to Jaemin’s apartment, and Jaemin nervously unlocked the front door to let Renjun in. The place was cleaner than it had been in months, practically dust free and smelling like daisies. Jaemin had spent the entire day before scrubbing the place from top to bottom because  _ hello,  _ he needed to impress!

Jaemin shuffled around awkwardly while Renjun set his shoes by the front door and made himself at home on Jaemin’s couch. Jaemin hated how his mouth dried up at the sight of Renjun sitting there on his couch, looking adorably cozy in sweatpants and an oversized hoodie. He was struggling to find words, finally stuttering out a cringe-worthy, “Umm— do you want something to, uh, drink?” He swallowed heavily. “I have— I have pretty much anything. Also snacks.”

Renjun giggled, and it sounded like angels had descended into Jaemin’s apartment. “I’ll have whatever you’re having,” he said before turning to the TV screen and flicking through the films on Netflix.

Jaemin quickly got their food and returned to the couch. Renjun had already decided on  _ Avengers: Endgame  _ and even though Jaemin had watched it three times already, he honestly did not care because he knew he’d probably spend most of the time stealing glances at Renjun anyway. 

Sure enough, they had barely gotten halfway through the movie and it was already long forgotten, both Jaemin and Renjun deep in a conversation. Renjun had pestered Jaemin into showing him more of his designs. Jaemin bent pretty quickly when Renjun broke out the puppy eyes, and he was soon flipping through his sketchbook, showing Renjun his rough designs. Jaemin marvelled at the way Renjun looked so entranced with each little sketch in his book. His eyes sparkled curiously the way that Jaemin had come to love, and he had a never ending stream of questions about the meaning behind each design.

They eventually reached the point in the sketchbook where Jaemin had met Renjun, and the smaller boy’s influence became noticeable in each design. 

Renjun pointed to a drawing that depicted the silhouette of a boy, seated amongst the stars. Jaemin remembered that one; he hadn’t been able to get the thought of Renjun and the galaxy of stars in his eyes out of his head after their first date, so he had once again whipped out his sketchbook and got to work.

“What’s this one mean?” Renjun asked, still referring to the boy in the stars. As soon as the question left his mouth, Jaemin was already thinking of fake excuses to tell him, anything but the truth— but for some reason, his mouth worked faster than his mind.

“Well— It’s kind of inspired by you.” Jaemin blurted. He ignored the way that Renjun’s eyes widened, and kept on going before he got freaked out and ran away. “When we watched the sunset, I couldn’t help but think that the way the sun was reflected in your eyes looked like a little galaxy.” Was he being too bold? He was definitely being too bold. All Jaemin knew was that his heart felt like it was about to beat out of his chest.

“It’s the same with the stars on your collarbone. Did you know that? You chose it without even noticing that it was for you.” Jaemin let out a strained laugh and wiped his sweaty hands on his thighs.

Renjun hadn’t spoken a word yet. His mouth was hanging open, and his wide eyes were searching Jaemin’s desperately, as if looking for any indication that he was lying.

“Really?” Renjun finally spoke, voice quivering just so slightly. 

“Yeah,” Jaemin said. A beat of silence. Then before he could lose his nerve, “Can I kiss you?”

Renjun nodded desperately. “Please.”

Jaemin didn’t waste one more second, reaching forward to pull Renjun’s head in, and their lips pressed together. There weren’t quite as many fireworks as Jaemin had been expecting, but the warm pleasant feeling that filled his stomach was ten times better.

Renjun’s lips were as soft and lovely as he was, and moved perfectly in sync with Jaemin’s own. Jaemin threaded his fingers through the soft locks of Renjun’s hair, and sighed into his mouth when the smaller boy brought his hands up to cradle Jaemin’s face gently.

Jaemin’s hands roamed hesitantly— he wasn’t sure how far Renjun was comfortable with— but when Jaemin’s hands stopped at his waist to dip underneath his hoodie, Renjun sighed with pleasure into the kiss. Jaemin decided that he would chase those sounds forever if only he could hear them again.

Strangely enough— all the fire coursing through his veins and nerves thrumming at his skin died down pretty quickly, and Jaemin was left with an even nicer feeling— that of a cozy warmth that he could only associate with home. Jaemin had barely known Renjun for that long and they had only gone on a couple dates, but it already felt like he had known the other boy for years.

The two of them finally pulled away from the kiss to catch their breath. Renjun’s hands remained holding Jaemin’s cheeks as they breathed, their eyes locked. Jaemin wanted to commit this sight to memory, wanted to be able to look back and clearly remember the look of wonder on Renjun’s face, his lips red and swollen from kissing and his eyes dilated. 

Renjun was the one who finally broke the silence.

“I really like you, Na Jaemin,” He mumbled, a shy smile growing on his face.

“That’s good, because I really like you too. I would be so sad if we went and made out, then I couldn’t even have you as my boyfriend by the end of it.”

Renjun laughed. “Is this your way of asking me to be your boyfriend?”

“Maybe.”

Renjun didn’t respond with words, but Jaemin felt he got his answer when the boy tucked his face into Jaemin’s shoulder, burying into his side.

It was quiet for a while, but a fuzzy kind of silence that only comes after something as happy as this. Renjun played with Jaemin’s fingers while Jaemin played with Renjun’s hair, his other arm wrapped around Renjun’s small shoulders.

“You know,” Renjun spoke, “I know you don’t go to college anymore and all, but I think you should take an art class with me. I think it would be fun, and I think you’d do great.”

Jaemin thought about it. He’d convinced himself that he had long left behind any sort of art education, and that those stuffy conceited old men had nothing to teach him that would be of any value. But then he envisioned sitting in a studio beside Renjun, both wearing paint stained aprons and sitting in front of canvases. Even if he didn’t learn anything, the experience sounded so sickeningly domestic, and he really couldn’t resist when Renjun looked at him like that, eyes brimming with hope and excitement.

Jaemin nodded. “I kinda like that idea.”

Renjun’s face almost split open with the force of his grin. “Really? You’d do it?”

“Of course. It sounds fun, especially if you’re there.”

Renjun’s smile was impossibly bright. He buried his face in Jaemin’s chest and Jaemin wrapped his arms around Renjun’s waist once again, pulling the boy into his lap. He smiled into Renjun’s hair, and his heart felt like it was ten times bigger than it had ever been before.

» ♔ «

Jaemin stuffed his sketchbook into his bag with fervor— not the one filled with tattoo designs, but the one for his art class. He let out a swear when a few pages were bent in his haste, and he quickly fixed them before stuffing his feet in his shoes haphazardly. He ran out of the house without a jacket, but one was not really needed this far into May.

Jaemin groaned as his shitty old car struggled to start up. When it finally did, he peeled out of the parking lot of his apartment building with his tires squealing. He was late picking Renjun up, which meant they would be late to their art class, which meant Renjun would probably be frustrated with him. And he did not want a grumpy Renjun, especially on today of all days. They were supposed to go on a romantic dinner date tonight for their six month anniversary, and Jaemin didn’t want to ruin it by putting Renjun in a bad mood.

Jaemin sagged against his steering wheel with relief when he parked in front of Renjun’s dorm building and saw that he wasn’t out front yet. Now both of them were late, and Renjun had no reason to be mad at him.

When Jaemin texted him with an  _ “I’m here!” _ , Renjun quickly responded with an  _ “omw down!!”  _ and sure enough, his precious boyfriend came bursting out the door not a minute later. His hair, freshly dyed silver, was a mess from running. Jaemin could just make out the tattoos scattering his arms, all in plain sight due to Renjun’s oversized short sleeve shirt. Jaemin had seen them a million times, but it still made his heart speed up to know that he had been the one to put them all there.

“Sorry I’m late,” Renjun gasped, out of breath as he threw himself into the passenger seat. “Jeno’s cat peed on some of my shirts so I had to struggle to find a wearable one.”

Jaemin cackled at the exasperated look on his boyfriend’s face. His longtime roommate and best friend Jeno had three cats, all of which he had rescued from the streets. It was a great source of frustration for Renjun, and he would rant about it to Jaemin every chance he got. For one, they were stashing the cats illegally because their dorm technically did not allow pets. Renjun hated how they would get fur on all of his things and scratch up the furniture, but he did not have the heart to say no to Jeno.

“As much as I love the boy, it’ll be a relief when he finally moves in with Hyuck,” Renjun said. “Hyuck has infinite more patience for Jeno’s antics, and they can go be gross with their cat babies in their own place.”

Jaemin nodded, and once again the talk of their friends finally getting a place together put the thought of moving in with Renjun in Jaemin’s head. He was ashamed to admit how clingy he was, going home to his own apartment and beginning to miss Renjun after seeing him just that day. How nice it would be, to wake up to that angelic face every day—

“Hey doofus, we’re here! Get out, we’re already late enough!”

Renjun’s words shook him out of his thoughts, and Jaemin blinked up at the College Arts building just outside the car window. He quickly jumped out of the car and raced after Renjun, whining about how mean he was to the boyfriend he was supposed to love.

They only barged into their class a few minutes late, and the older woman who taught the class only gave them a firm look as they took their seats. It was about an hour of painting a bowl of fruit for their still life project, with Jaemin being antsy and Renjun scolding him to calm down as usual. Before Jaemin knew it they were heading off to their dinner reservation across the city.

Dinner, of course, was nice. Anything with Renjun was nice, but Jaemin had a huge appetite, and the portions at the restaurant were ridiculously small. Jaemin couldn’t help but feel a little out of place in the stuffy uptight restaurant full of rich people. He and Renjun were the exact opposite of the kind of people you’d expect to see there, loudly laughing at each other’s jokes, sporting brightly colored hair and plenty of tattoos peeking out everywhere.

Renjun revealed that he felt just as awkward there as Jaemin, so they decided to dip out of there before dessert. The pair ended up stumbling and laughing to the empty parking garage where they had had their first date, just in time to watch the sunset.

Jaemin looked on in awe as the boy he loved began excitedly filling him in on the progress that the instagram page he set up for Jaemin’s shop was making. Renjun had fulfilled his promise of putting his marketing and graphic design education to good use to promote Jaemin and Yukhei’s business. He was busy recanting how the page had gained  _ 2,000 followers since he had last checked, isn’t that amazing Jaemin?!  _ When Renjun finally finished, Jaemin grabbed his hands and squeezed them between his. Renjun looked at him, surprised.

“You know I love you so much, right?” Jaemin murmured.

Renjun nodded suspiciously. “I know. I love you too. What brought this on?”

“Nothing, I just thought I should say it. Did you know that you’re absolutely gorgeous?”

Renjun laughed again and slapped Jaemin on the chest playfully. They went back to watching the sunset for a while, peaceful silence hanging over them. Renjun sat in Jaemin’s lap and absentmindedly played with the hairs on Jaemin’s nape, his eyes fixed on the setting sun. As usual, Jaemin was too captivated by Renjun’s eyes to focus on the colors of the sky.

“Do you remember how we met?” Jaemin asked suddenly.

Renjun turned to look at him, eyebrows furrowed as he nodded. “Of course. I found your business card so I dragged Jeno down to your shop to get my first tattoo.”

Jaemin smiled, pleased at Renjun’s innocent words. “Nope, incorrect!”

“What? What do you mean, incorrect?!” 

Jaemin hummed. “We actually met once before that.”

Renjun shook his head. “Nuh uh. I do  _ not  _ remember that.”

“Well of course you wouldn’t. You were absolutely shitfaced.”

Renjun’s head whipped around, and Jaemin cackled at the look of utter panic in Renjun’s eyes.

“What the hell does that mean!” Renjun squawked. Jaemin was smiling so wide now it hurt, and he gently pulled his boyfriend closer to his chest so he could plant a wet kiss on his cheek. Renjun wiped his cheek indignantly on Jaemin’s shoulder.

“Well, my love,” Jaemin began, “Let me tell you a story…”


End file.
